Ranked #3384

River's Edge (Manga)

This story features LGBT scenes and has a splash of shounen-ai and shoujo-ai.

Please people, even though you might have a greater tolerance for these things:
Label the genres for those who DON’T have that great tolerance.
Don’t be selfish.

Wakakusa, Haruna is in highschool [we don’t really know which grade, only that she’s a senpai] and she’s doing well. Enter Yamada-kun [the quiet, pretty boy] and suddenly, it’s like there’s no ice-cream in the world.
Things go downhill fast, and when I mean fast I mean within a volume things go from ‘I’m doing good’ to ‘why the Hell am I here?! Wait a minute… Is there Hell anyways?!’
And I’m just sitting there thinking: please make sense as we progress. Please make sense as we progress.
Like a mantra and guess what?

It DIDN’T make sense as the story progressed.

First of all, we need to talk about the art which is surprisingly not mainstream. And although it doesn’t stick with the concepts of detail and proportion, it definitely adds that surreal edge the story is trying to create successfully. There are no sparkly side-effects (for which we are all grateful, I’m sure) so that means that the reader must be willing to try and get accustomed to a different style of illustrating.

The plot in the story tries to showcase the problems and pressures teenagers are faced with (generally while they are in highschool). Being honest, it's not a really innovative or original idea but it may perhaps be called a noble cause.

Now that I’ve pointed that out, I must also say that all that work went down the filthy drain because…

God damn it! I HATE the stupid cyclic plots. Why can’t the author just introduce a problem and solve it? Okay fine, TRY to solve it. You know what, at least emphasize that it’s a trash-can/bin-with-maggoty-maggots-eating-maggots-on-top-of-a-fast-food-burger problem.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder?
The story goes: Interesting…

Burying an unknown corpse?
The story goes: Hmmmmm…

Why can’t you just tell me that it’s wrong!
I get it, ‘the author is trying to subversively, submarinely, subatomically, sub-whatever-ly try and INSINUATE that the reader SHOULD find out that what the characters are doing is wrong.’
Okay, what’s wrong with pointing that out?

HEEEELLLLLLOOOOOOOO!!!
Author, you are NOT Aristotle.

You do NOT have the right to be utterly longwinded while flashing your ever ingenious use of prolixity in our faces with the intention of getting away with it. No big angry professor is going to protect your work from criticism and...

HAVE MERCY.

I’m not stupid, honestly; I’m not saying dumb down your plot or anything. In fact, I LIKE complex plots; I just hate it, when you know,
YOU TRY AND MAKE A MONA LISA OUT OF A DOODLE!
{Even though I don't find the Mona Lisa all that attractive but you know what I mean}

Just spell it out for me.

If you’re trying to spread the message that teenage girls shouldn’t become prostitutes for expensive products: you are probably not getting the message across if no one is going to understand that there is a big X on the scene where she starts working her prostitute prowess.
If you’re trying to say that teenage guys shouldn’t become gay and start selling themselves to sick men for dough: then why don’t you say that EXPLICITELY.

Spare us that implicit mumbo-jumbo; if I wanted subliminal messages, I’d watch TV, listen to music or better yet, go to the cinema. I’m not here to try and actually remember that I shouldn’t have necrophiliac urges when you’re showing me people who like staring at dead people and find it relaxing.

And no, don’t you start with that ‘Maz-Maz can see dead people!’ stuff, because I’m being serious. Deadly.

For example:

If I’m trying to stop you from eating genetically-modified goods, I’m not gonna start talking about that awesome new Bugatti that just hit the market am I? And then point out that: the probably less economically well-off people who probably made that shade of paint by the gallons are probably broke and barely have enough time to sleep so they have to run to a fast food joint for a meal, which leads to them getting sick and dying slowly from having weird experimental chemicals in their body as they’re unable to eat organic stuff since it costs a goldmine and a half,
And THAT ladies and gentlemen is why you shouldn’t eat GM foods.

Unless, I want you to get completely and utterly confused.

However, the story also goes all existential and stuff, and that’s fine.
If you don’t know why you’re here or you’re religiously-frustrated; you can connect with the characters and feel their pain as your own…
Just before you try and kill yourself.

And if you’re not having existential doubts then unless you’re completely sure of yourself; prepare to be a lost and wandering atheist who doesn’t know whether they’re alive or not who then tries to contact aliens through mental concentration…
Wooooah! Sounds exciting…
I know.

Overall, I’m not saying that I’m a complete and utter hater and I’m not saying that I’m gonna recommend this either. I may acknowledge and respect the writer’s ideas and intentions but that doesn’t mean I agree with the way they tried to portray them.

So peeps, if you feel lost and confused; ask for help or well, message me.

If you feel presured; talk about it with another human being (underline the human being part, if you start talking to trees that doesn't count) or again, message me (I'm full of surprises ya know).

And for the love of peace, if you find a dead rotting corpse don't stare at it:
CALL THE POLICE! read more

rivers edge was a beautiful story about friendship love and getting through while it also portrays not too hardcore psychological problems. haruna our heroine meets very weird friends and is like a i don't care i can take it but strong character. while yamada is weird yet strong and is a homo. kozue our model loves to eat never gets fat she throws it all up after. she also likes haruna. theses three kids walk the path of friendship and life.